Many compounds are known as being helpful in removing snow and ice from surfaces, such as roadways or aggregate stockpiles of sand, gravel and coal, or to prevent ice and snow from forming on such surfaces. Of course, the compounds most prevalently used in the past were common types of chloride salts, such as calcium, magnesium, or sodium chloride. These compounds have long been accepted as the most efficient and cost effective manner of preventing the accumulation of snow and ice, or deicing surfaces upon which snow or ice has accumulated. However, there are several well-recognized limitations and detrimental effects resulting from the use of chloride salts.
One significant limitation is that chloride salts are effective as anti-freezing or deicing agents only at temperatures just below freezing, or to about 20.degree. F. Of course, in the depths of winter, many climates in the United States frequently experience temperatures much lower than this for long periods of time. Such low temperatures will render such compounds ineffective and, thus, unsuitable for use as intended.
Additionally, the use of large amounts of chloride salts in snow or ice removal has long been recognized as being harmful to the environment. Of course, after spreading, the salts admix with the melting ice or snow. The runoff from this process can contaminate both above and below ground water supplies and harm plants or other materials that corrode or deteriorate when placed in contact with high concentrations of chloride salts.
An early proposal for overcoming these problems was made by Dr. Jeno Toth of Hungary. Legend has it that Dr. Toth observed that even at temperatures well below freezing, snow and ice did not form on outdoor surfaces near where commercial plants discharged waste products resulting from alcohol distillation processes. Thus, after experimentation, he proposed the use of these distillation byproducts as alternatives to chloride salts as anti-freezing and deicing agents. A description of his experimentation with these compounds is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,918, issued Jun. 30, 1987.
Later proposals seeking to diversify from Dr. Toth's work propose the use of similar types of byproducts as anti-freezing or deicing agents. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,709,813, 5,709,812, and 5,635,101, all to Janke et al., propose the use of the waste byproducts of the wet corn milling, wine, and cheese-making processes as anti-freezing and deicing agents. While the compositions forming these byproducts serve as effective anti-freezing and deicing agents, several limitations remain.
First, many of the compositions proposed in these patents take on the consistency of "thick molasses" at low temperatures and at extremely low temperatures (e.g. below 0.degree. F.), become thick and putty-like. In this form, the compounds can only be effectively spread onto surfaces for use if first placed in solution with water or other compounds, such as known prior art chemical deicing agents. While it is feasible to do so to form an improved anti-freezing/deicing solution, it has been observed that such a solution continues to be high in the concentration of suspended solids and, thus, tends to clog conventional spraying or spreading devices. Such clogging can result in poor or inadequate spreading over the surface/object to be treated and thus ineffective performance. Still further, significant downtime may be necessary to clean the sprayers used to apply the composition. This costly and labor intensive operation is often quite difficult when out on the job away from repair facilities and appropriate equipment for such a purpose. Further, it can be particularly detrimental when inclement weather, such as when snow storms or severe temperature drops accompanied by precipitation, are quickly approaching or ongoing.
Another difficulty is that the compositions resulting from the fermentation or cheese-making processes are often biologically reactive. Thus, if the right conditions are presented, the organisms responsible for fermentation will continue to "grow," even after application. For example, if a first layer of a fermentation byproduct containing yeast or other active cultures is applied to a roadway, and then a second application is made, air becomes entrained between these layers. With the right amount of light, heat, and moisture, the yeast will continue the fermentation process, which will yield strong odors and foam. Of course, in certain applications, such as where these compounds are used on roadways in residential neighborhoods, this unpleasant and unsightly mess my be tracked into garages and homes making these compositions totally unacceptable for use.
Finally, a frequent observation is that distillation and fermentation byproducts have an unpleasant odor. The odor is generally described as being similar to that associated with a feed lot on a farm. While this may be acceptable when such byproducts are used on rural highways or aggregate stockpiles in industrial settings, most urban residents are not accustomed to their streets smelling like fermenting silage and would not be willing to accept living with this odor as a trade-off for snow and ice-free roadways.
Thus, a need is identified for an improved anti-freezing and deicing composition that overcomes the above-described limitations of the prior art. The composition would preferably be readily available at a low cost, such as is the case with byproducts of widely used commercial processes, and would be ready for use in conventional devices such as sprayers without any additional mixing or processing. The composition would be non-corrosive and preferably would also inhibit corrosion when mixed with prior art chemical anti-freezing or deicing agents. Overall, the composition would be environmentally friendly and, thus, could be applied without harming plants or contaminating the ground or surface water.